Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) blog on competitive gaming in South Africa from proto-computer gaming all the way through to the most modern. For more about MSSA go to: https://www.facebook.com/mindsportssa/
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Wednesday, 21 August 2013

I
really enjoy writing blogs.... After all how else an you get your
point across to so many different people and have the opportunity to
'shake the tree'.

But
my article "DGL does not help gaming" really showed just
how set in their ways so many gamers really are.

I
initially intended to start a number of articles where I look at the
major role-players.

My first article was to look at what I
thought were some weaknesses in the DGL.

Immediately
there was a ferocious and vitriolic response from people who ran to
the defence of the DGL and immediately began accusing the national
body, the MSSA of being behind the article.

I
feel that I must state that the MSSA had nothing to do with the
article whatsoever.

Indeed, a number of the readers also
immediately began to draw comparisons between the association and
TELKOM's gaming interest.

Maybe that is what is really needed
as it seems as though few understand the roles that all the different
parties play.

Unfortunately
there were some pretty bad responses, which I have chosen to rise
above, but there were several who were quite rude and some that were
racist!

What is clear is that there are a lot of people out
there who do not respect anybody's opinion other than their own.

Readers
should note that everybody has the right to say what they want to, as
long as it is legal, and others do have the right to be offended, but
everybody should respect other people's points of views.

There
will be more articles coming up on the state of eSports in South
Africa, the total lack of transformation, and why the people should
demand a more indigenous approach to be taken to the MSSA, and why
someone like me should be elected in December as the new MSSA
president.

Saturday, 17 August 2013

Thus the overall ambition for TELKOM will always be different for what gamers really need.

Yes, the have 4,100 gamers in their leagues,

Yes, they give out prize money at the annual rAge,

Yes, gamers can play for free, and

Yes, they have all the glitz and glamour,,,,,

So, you ask, how can you claim that the DGL is not helping gaming?

The answer is a long one, so, let me begin.....

Number of gamers:

The number of 4,100 may seem to be a lot, but when you consider that over 60,000 people use the MWEB server on a monthly basis, you realise that it is not really that much, If the amount of 4,100 because of a difficult registration system and the requirement to pay fees, you could easily understand why it would be such a small fraction of the numbers that use the MWEB servers.

But, instead the DGL are offering FREE leagues. There is no payment of fees, there is an easy 'registration' system. From what I know, the registration system does not even require the approval of the parents in the case of minors.

Surely there should be a lot more gamers involved?

Not only that, but to what are the gamers registering?

The registration does not come with any rights. All it is is a registering to play in a championship, Since the DGL is owned entirely by TELKOM, no rights van be given to any gamer.

Prizes (in cash and kind):

The DGL always makes a big fuss about the prize money that they give. However it is never consistent and it never seems to have any greater vision or objective in mind.

For example, the amounts given are:

2013.......R40,000.00
2012.......R500,000.00
2011.......R160,000.00

Of course it must be remembered that the prizes are not just cash. Often the prizes take the form of hardware. The hardware is all very well, but ofter gamers already have better, and the hardware does not fill stomachs, pay the rent, or help a team get overseas.

Not only that, but a game that receives prizes in one year, may not receive prizes in the next.

But why is that?

The reason is simple. The prizes form part of the promotion of a game. There is no vision of pushing a title to improve the standard to get a team overseas - it seems to be all about sales!

But seriously, who has TELKOM helped to further gaming by getting them overseas.

Another point is, the prizes are all goods and well for the top teams, but what about the rest> How do the prizes encourage more gamers to become involved?

Simply put, it doesn't......

Conclusion:

From the above you will see that the DGL does very little for gamers.

There will no doubt be many who feel inflamed by this blog, but this is my opinion....

Sunday, 4 August 2013

To date clans
cluster around sponsors like hounds around the master who throws scraps to the
baying pack to placate the insatiable demand.

All the scraps
do is temporarily satiate the hunger pangs which quickly return and leave no
real respite.

So does the
current sponsorship of eSports. Clans sell their brands for little and the
sponsorship thus received does little to promote growth of gaming in terms of
the number of gamers, standard of gaming or even the long-term financial
sustainability of gaming.

As a result
the sponsors too feel they are under siege. As the clans yelp around the
sponsors for sponsorship, the sponsors are acutely aware of the transient nature
of the clans. In business, any company that has not been in existence for at
least ten years is considered to have a high rate of failing. Yet, only the
clubs based at schools and universities have survived for more than ten years.
Bravado is one of the few clans that is coming up to its tenth year of existence
through the herculean efforts of 'bvd-cent'.

Sponsors are
also more than aware that most, if not all, clans have no legal status and are
often nothing more that individuals operating as Sole-traders. The opportunity
for sponsors to thus claim any sponsorship as social development in order to win
much needed BEE points is thus negated, and the sponsors themselves are aware
that such sponsorships should be treated by those clans as income in the hands
of the owners of such clans.

Also, many of
the sponsors are aware that many gamers will in fact not buy their products.
Gamers are without doubt a very discerning breed when it comes to technology and
will favour picking-and-choosing what they need to build up their 'rigs' rather
than just buying a finished product.

The types of
sponsorships received thus do little for log-term development. While it is nice
for a clan to secure hardware for their top clan, such a sponsorship does little
to promote gaming and the profitability of the sponsor itself.

And therein
lies the rub!

Unless
sponsors can see that by sponsoring eSports that they will do more business, it
remains more profitable for sponsors to sponsor football, rugby, and/or
cricket.

Everybody in
eSports thus has a duty to ensure that the sponsors can and will do better.

This does not
mean that everybody must run out and quickly start purchasing computers, screens
and the such.

Instead, every
gamer must help to make it possible for prospective sponsors to substantially
increase sales.

One of the
ways to do this is to simply tap into NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDING (NDLTF).

Of course
there are criteria that have to be followed in order to do this, but it can be
done!

Any club
affiliated to the MSSA can apply for up to R200,000.00 per annum. The monies can
be spent on equipment, kit, travel and entry fees, but only if:

a. the club is
affiliated to the recognised national federation, and

b. has at
least three year's audited financial statements.

Through
participating in the NDLTF in this way, gamers will be able to unlock
substantial amounts which will benefit sponsors and sponsored alike.

The money
received will be spent on purchasing new equipment, which will increase the
amount of sales and will further encourage companies to commit larger amounts to
sponsoring both clans and events.

The growth can
thus be exponential as more and more money will be spent in the computer
industry.

Remember that
approximately R400 million is earmarked every year for sport – it is foolish not
to take advantage of this gilded invitation.

By following
this course of action, gamers will have taken the initiative in controlling the
destiny of eSports in South Africa to become the masters of their own
fate.